Dear Friends,
It is always a joy when we leave the blistering temperatures of summer and wake up to the cooler mornings of the fall. Colder weather will not likely hit us until at least Thanksgiving so I hope you will go outside and get some fresh air. Everything is safer outside. We are glad to report that our COVID cases continue to decline or hold steady so let us stay doing the safe things. If you are eligible for a booster, please get it. Flu shots are available right now as well.
Our church has not had a Laity Sunday in many years so let me explain what it is. When we are referring to laity in the church, we are referring to all the people who are not clergy. Our church has 353 members on the role but we also have many people who are active in our church and call it home and we have children. Between all those groups we have somewhere between 200-250 active members. That is our laity. You volunteer, you teach, you organize, you serve, you create, you sing, you lead, you monitor, you read, you inspire, and you even preach. You are the church. In our United Methodist system, you are appointed a pastor based on what your leadership has deemed you need at this stage of your church life. Most people think churches live and die by the preacher. That is not true. Preachers come and go. Your relationship to God through Jesus Christ, your relationship to each other, and your relationship with the local community is the crucial factor as to whether the church thrives or not. So, in the UMC, we put aside one Sunday to celebrate you, to bless you, and to pray that God will continue to use you to help our church be all it can be.
The strongest churches have laity with strong spiritual lives. Any group of people can organize a body that looks like a church. They can conduct services every week and can even serve in the community but to be a real church, you must have people who have a strong prayer life, you must have people who genuinely follow Christ, and you must have leaders who hold themselves accountable. A church must use the spiritual gifts of its membership to bear fruit for the Kingdom of God. One of my jobs as your pastor is to make certain our church is providing the resources you need to grow spiritually.
Our Laity Sunday will either be October 17th or October 24th, depending on when my granddaughter decides to make an appearance in California. Ellen Horsemen is our current Lay Leader and she will be leading this celebration of our ministries. We are not celebrating what we have accomplished but what God has accomplished through us.
Please notice that we plan to put together kits for Ingathering this year. We have ordered the supplies for 100 health kits. We may add to that before we put everything together. It is a great project for teenagers who need volunteer hours. We will start that Sunday, November 7th at 4:00pm.
We hope our kids have been working on their Bible skills because we plan to gather on October 31st for our Baseball World Series game! Adults, you may wish to join us to see if your knowledge matches the kids.
On Sunday mornings, we are continuing our series in the Gospel of Mark. We look forward to seeing you in worship Sunday!
Grace and peace,
Beth
